This invention relates to debris collectors, and more particularly, to a debris collector which includes an impeller or blower, and utilizes the suction created by the impeller to pick up and collect debris such as leaves, litter, etc.
A number of forms of apparatus of this general description have been proposed in the past. Exemplary of such is the equipment disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,243,834; 3,594,848; 3,619,994; 3,710,412; and 4,017,281. The devices illustrated in these patents are subject to a number of disadvantages, in that they offer difficulties in maneuvering in tight locations; they do not provide adequate versatility in operation of any pick-up head employed in actually picking up material; the vacuum generated by the impeller in the device is inefficiently used; many are extremely complicated in construction and, as a consequence, are expensive to produce and have a limited market; and many offer major problems in maintenance and repair.
Generally, an object of this invention is to provide an improved vacuum-operated debris collector which overcomes the problems enumerated above in a highly practical and satisfactory manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a vacuum-operated collector which is highly maneuverable, and thus readily utilized in cleaning up areas that, as a practical matter, are essentially unreachable with most prior art devices.
Yet a further object of the invention is to provide such a vacuum-operated collector which includes a novel conduit system connecting with a motor-driven impeller unit in the apparatus, which enables any suction head supplied vacuum by the impeller unit to the conduit system to be positioned at substantially any location about the perimeter of the apparatus.
Specific features of the invention comprise the organization of a collection receptacle and motor-driven impeller unit mounted on a single mobile or wheel-supported frame, and a swivelable conduit section in a conduit system supplying a vacuum to a suction head which may be swiveled without obstruction over a 360.degree. arc to accommodate desired positioning of the suction head; a ring bearing assembly for such swiveled conduit section which is simple in construction and provides essentially unobstructed movement of air through the conduit section into the impeller unit; and a unique boom-like carrier and a mounting therefor, which is utilizable in partially supporting a flexible hose employed in connecting the swiveled conduit section to a suction head.
Other features of the invention which render it compact, flexible in operation, highly maneuverable, and a relatively maintenance free unit will become more fully apparent as the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: